Over fifty parish churches survive in the City of London, of the over one hundred which were there before the Great Fire of 1666. Wren, Hawksmoor and others rebuilt what are now jewels in the capital's architectural heritage. Following the success of our first City Churches Singing Day last year, we visit a further four churches to sing a selection of mostly well-known anthems, and listen to a short piece on each organ by our organist, James Carpenter. Rick Jones, a Blue Badge City Guide, will once again accompany us to introduce each of these remarkable buildings.

Click here to book

(refresh and repeat for each person separately if possible - the system only stores one name per email address)

Click here to jump to the scores and part-learning videos

Programme

What will we sing?

We will sing a selection of anthems and liturgical pieces, often ones we have performed over the past year, together with some carefully chosen hymns.
Our organist, James Carpenter FRCO, will give a short recital on each instrument.
Rick Jones, a qualified Blue Badge guide, will give an short introduction to each church.

Among the pieces will be
Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus from Missa Secunda by Hassler (1599)
Turn thy face from my sins by Attwood (1834)
If ye love me by Tallis (c.1549)
Lord, for thy tender mercies sake by Farrant or Tye (c.1550)
Ave Verum by Elgar (1857–1934)

(The music list may be subject to change)

Who can take part?

This will appeal to anyone used to singing four part sacred music in a choir. There is no audition, and you do not need to be an expert sight reader, but you do need to be able to read music well enough to prepare your part in advance, a very important part of a one-off choral occasion such as this. A full set of rehearsal videos will be posted at the bottom of this page and participants are encouraged to use these for easy regular part-learning in the weeks prior to our visit.

What does it cost?

The cost is £75 per person. This includes tea and coffee on arrival, a printed set of music, and lunch: a traditional sausage and mash meal (standard or vegetarian) with drinks in a classic London pub.
You may also opt out of the lunch and make your own arrangement, paying a reduced price of £40 for the day.

What do I wear?

Our peformance outfit is black. For the ladies this means black dresses, or black tops and skirts or trousers and discreet personal jewellery. Tights may be black or natural. For the gentlemen, black shirts open at the neck, black trousers, and black jackets or jumpers if worn. Dinner jacket components are acceptable.
Comfortable shoes for walking may be worn and these need not be black (but preferably not white or brightly coloured).
It could still be quite cold in March so bring warm wear. Black jumpers or cardigans may be worn, even black coats if needed.
An umbrella or raincoat is probably advisable.

Preparation

It is very important that everyone prepares in advance as much as necessary to be able to sing their part on the day with few or no stumbles over the notes.
I will place rehearsal videos for each part for each piece here, which you can watch and sing along with as an efficient and easy way to practice your part as often as you feel you need to.

Can I bring a partner or a friend?

Friends, family and partners are very welcome to attend the actual performances as onlookers, as these are open to the public at no charge. If a friend or partner would like to join the group for refreshments and lunch, they may do so, paying a reduced charge which is indicated on the booking form.

Click here to book

(refresh and repeat for each person separately if possible - the system only stores one name per email address)

Music files and practice videos